Pachuca snatch victory from Toluca and land first blow in Liguilla | OneFootball

Pachuca made a statement at the Nemesio Diez, beating Toluca 1-0 in the first leg of the Clausura 2026 quarterfinals.

Los Tuzos stunned the Infierno as early as the 8th minute, when Enner Valencia took advantage of an assist from Elías Montiel to fire home and score a superb goal. 

Despite going behind, the Diablos Rojos tried to respond with the backing of their fans. However, poor finishing and a solid performance from Pachuca’s defense denied Sebastián Córdova and Jesús Angulo.

In the second half, Toluca’s coach shuffled his lineup in a desperate search for an equalizer, but Pachuca stayed organized and dangerous on the counterattack.

The Diablos came close to celebrating an equalizer, but their goal was ruled out for a handball inside the box.

The series will be decided next Sunday at Estadio Hidalgo, where Pachuca will arrive with a slim advantage and the table-position tiebreaker in its favor. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

📸 MARIO VAZQUEZ - AFP or licensors